The union of two Brazilian vocal talents led by the biggest hard/heavy metal label
By Luiz Athayde
No one can argue that Frontiers Records is the biggest specialized hard/melodic rock (and sometimes heavy metal) label of today; both for revealing new and bringing back old names.
Brother Against Brother (Photo: Disclosure)
And it was in the middle of this timeline that the mentor of the Italian label, Serafino Perugino, decided to repeat the dose by joining the singers Russel Allen (Symphony X) and Jørn Lande (Jorn, Ark, Masterplan and others), but with a 100% Brazilian closure: Nando Fernandes (Sinistra, ex-Hangar, Cavalo Vapor, etc) and Renan Zonta (Electric Mob) in the project named Brother Against Brother.
The compositions are signed by renowned Italian producer and multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Del Vecchio, who, in his credentials, has names like Jorn, Silent Force, Edge of Forever and Hardline, just to name a few.
The creative perimeter revolved around what the label proposes to sell to its public, but with the upgrade of melodic power metal, i.e., on the self-titled record you can hear influences that go through AOR, the most melodic nuances of heavy metal, as well as the progressive, all around the power of the two national aces of the microphones.
It was such a clear shot that you notice it right from the first moments, like the opening track “Two Brothers”. But the track with the greatest chance of catching the listener by the soul is “City of God”. Epic and symphonic in content, its chorus brings the best of melodic rock combined with the strength of heavy metal.
“Haunted Heart” is another one that catches the listener by its dynamic of indirect connections with the Swedish Eclipse, for example. “Whispers in Darkness” is where Nando’s Dio side comes out more, and I don’t need to say that it is one of the great moments of the record, although the one chosen for the videoclip production was “Valley Of The Kings”, since it brings all the elements mentioned in this short opinion.
Without much analysis, Brother Against Brother is that kind of record that is born to tear the ears of those who can’t (and shouldn’t) “drop the bone” of listening to songs with the energy bar on the top, and also for seeing Brazil so well represented in a style unimaginable 20, 30 years ago.
Listen to the full album below: